Lighted push-button switch



y 1967 J. J. DENNISON 3,317,695

LIGHTED PUSH- BUTTON SWITCH Filed Sept. 23, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. OHN J- DE/V/V/SO/V Wm im ATTORNEYS May 2, 1967 J. J. DENNISON LIGHTED PUSH- BUTTON SWITCH 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 23, 1965 \INVENTOR. JOHN J: PENN/SON 77%: M1 WA? ATTORNEYS y 1967 J. J. DENNISON 3,317,695

LIGHTED PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH Filed Sept. 23, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 4

ZOJ 625 mu l4 INVENTOR. JOHN J? Di/V/V/fiO/V ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,317,695 LIGHTED PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH John J. Dennison, Cheshire, C0nn., assignor to Maxson Electronics Corporation, Great River, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 489,633 7 Claims. (Cl. 200-167) This invention relates to manually operated electrical switches and in particular to illuminated micro-miniature switches.

New developments in switch construction have produced switches of greatly reduced dimensions. In the field of electronic controls there has long existed a need for a reliable compact precision lighted push-button switch unit. While the individual switch units have been built with great compactness and reliability, the lighted pushbutton units, which provide the advantage of an indication of the switching state, are not now known, which provide equivalent compactness and reliability,

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a push-button precision switch assembly which uses a standard miniature switch in conjunction with a push button and a light indicator, which is simple in construction and reliable in use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved push-button light switch in which case of access is obtained to the lamp portion.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a push-button switch in which rotation of the push button is prevented during the operation of the switch and in which a direct indication is provided showing the state of the switch contacts.

Further objects and features of this invention become clear from an examination of the specification and figures below in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a push-button switch according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5--5 of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, the push-button structure shown includes a lens which is made of a transparent, translucent or semi-transparent material which is secured around a collar 12 and is glued thereto to make a firm connection between the lens and collar. Within collar 12 is located a cylindrical bore 13 on the interior diameter thereof. A sleeve 14, which is cylindrical in configuration, is fitted within the collar 12. To this end the collar 12 has a circumferential groove 12a. Pressed into this groove 12w is a bead portion 14a of the sleeve 14 which provides a firm connection between the lens 10 and the collar 12 to the sleeve 14. To further facilitate the assembly of collar 12 with sleeve 14 the head portion 14a is interrupted as at 14b in FIG. 5. Sleeve 14 is also provided with slots 15 at the upper end thereof. As best shown in FIG. 2, slots 15 are V- shapcd. The slots 15 along with the interrupted bead portions 14b permit the squeezing of the side of the sleeve 14, as the lens and collar are pushed onto the sleeve. A key 16 which is integral with the bottom portion of the collar 12 extends into one of the slots 15 to prevent relative rotation of the lens and collar with respect to the sleeve 14. By the structure of the sleeve, collar and lens, a construction is provided which prevents the rotation of the lens-collar combination with respect to the sleeve during the operation of the push button.

The lens, collar and sleeve form the moving portion of the push-button switch which will be explained in more detail in a later part of this specification.

A stationary top casing member 18 is provided with an upwardly extending cylindrical portion 19 and a square base 20 integral therewith. The top surface 21 of the base has disposed therein rectangular openings 22 through which extends the extension 23 which is integral with sleeve 14. The bottom of extension 23 contacts a top surface of plunger 17 when the lens 10 is depressed vertically downward. This downward force is exerted against the force produced by a compression spring 24 which maintains plunger in its normal position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Connected to plunger 17, by means of rivet 5, is a pencil leaf spring 28. Upon the depression of the lens 10, the plunger 17 is pressed against the force of spring 24 causing the spring leaf finger 28 to contact the actuator 29 of a micro-miniature switch 27 which is fixedly mounted in the bottom of the switch housing. The structure of the micro-miniature switch 27 is not further discussed herein as switches of this sort are well known in the art and the structure of the switch is not part of the inventive concepts shown.

In order to retain extension 23 in its proper position an opening 25 is provided in the wall of the upwardly extending cylindrical portion whereby square opening 22 receives shoulder 26 of extension 23.

The lower base of the switch comprises two outer shell pieces 30 which, as in the case of the other housing structure portions, are made of a plastic or similar type substance, and inner blocks 31 which are secured to each side of the micro-miniature switch 27. The outer shell pieces have upstanding fingers 32 which extend into openings 33 (see FIGURES 1 and 5) in square upper surface 21 of the top casing member 18. Inner blocks 31 are provided with projections 34 which enter holes 50 located in the outer shell piece 30. Fastening means 40, extending into the side portion 51 of the micro-miniature switch 27, extend through the inner block 30 to retain the switch 27 in proper orientation with respect to the switch housing. It is, of course, also conceivable that the retaining means 40 may extend through both the inner block 31 and the outer shell piece 30.

Another feature of this push-button switch construction is the provision of a lamp located within the switch housing by means of which the condition of the micro-miniature switch can be readily ascertained. When the microminiature switch is actuated the contacts 36 and 39 connected to the lamp socket 45, are connected to an external voltage source (not shown) to illuminate lamp 44. To this effect, a piece of stamped metal 35 is sandwiched between block 31 and outer piece 30 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Metal strip 35 extends to the top of inner block 31 and is then bent at nearly right angles over the top surface of inner block 31 to form the central contact piece 36 which makes contact with the bottom of lamp socket 45. Referring now to FIG. 4, a portion 37 of the metal strip extends across the top surface of the block to a securing screw 38. The second lamp contact is a resilient C-shaped sleeve 39 (see FIG. 5) which is placed firmly around the circumference of the lamp socket or lamp base to grasp the lamp base. Contact 39 is secured to an upright conducting portion 41 which extends across the top of the inner block 31 and then, as shown in FIG. 1, is also placed in a snug fit, between inner block 31 and the outer shell piece 30. Projection 34 which extends through a slot within upright portion 41 prevents the motion of the upright portion 41. Also extending from contact 39 is a horizontal ear portion 42 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) which is retained by screw 43 and ear 44 extends to the opposite direction from ear 42 to make contact with connecting means 52.

To replace the lamp the lens is simply jerked upwardly to overcome the retaining force exerted by the sleeve upon the lens-coller combination. The lamp is pulled from the lamp socket and once a new lamp is replaced, the lens-collar combination is forced back onto the sleeve. The screws 38 and 43 also serve to retain the entire push-button switch onto a wall or similar fixture in which the switch is being employed.

While I have shown one embodiment of my switch according to this invention, I do not wish to be restricted to the scope of the embodiment shown, but rather my invention should be defined by the scope of the claims which are appended below.

What I claim is:

1. A push-button switch assembly comprising: a housing, a switch stationarily arranged in said housing and having an actuator extending therefrom, a lamp socket stationarily disposed in said housing and adapted to receive a lamp, a pair of contact strips stationarily received in said housing and electrically connected to said socket for energizing a lamp received therein, a pushbutton assembly including a lens, a collar connected to said lens and having a key extending therefrom, and a sleeve disposed within and detachably connected to said collar and provided with a groove receiving said key to prevent rotation between said collar and said sleeve, said sleeve being axially displaceably and non-rotatably mounted in said housing, a plunger arranged in said housing and movable therein from a rest position to an actuating position, spring means biasing said plunger into said rest position, and a blade connected to said plunger for movement therewith, upon depression of said push-button assembly said sleeve being adapted tomove said plunger into said actuating position and thereby said blade into engagement wtih said actuator for actuating said switch.

2. A push-button switch assembly according to claim 1, in which said sleeve and said collar are provided with coacting protrusion and depression means for detachably interconnecting said sleeve and said collar.

3. A push-button switch assembly according to claim 2, wherein said coacting interconnecting means form an elastic snap connection between said sleeve and said collar.

4. A push-button switch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said lens and collar are glued together to form an integral body.

5. A push-button switch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said lens is translucent.

6. A push-button switch assembly according to claim 1 wherein said lens is opaque.

7. A push-button switch assembly comprising: an elongated housing, a switch stationarily arranged in said housing adjacent one end portion thereof and having an actuator extending therefrom, a lamp socket stationarily disposed in said housing adjacent the other end portion thereof, a pair of contact strips stationarily received in said housing and electrically connected to said socket for energizing a lamp received therein, a push-button assembly including a lens, a collar connected to said lens and having a key extending therefrom, and a sleeve disposed within said collar and provided with a groove receiving said key to prevent rotation of said collar relative to said sleeve, said sleeve and said icollar being provided with elastic coacting protrusion and depression means detachably interconnecting said sleeve and said collar, thereby facilitating access to a lamp in said socket, said sleeve having means axially displaceably and non-rotatably received in said housing, a plunger axially displaceably arranged in said housing adjacent said switch and engaged by said sleeve, abutment means in said housing between said switch and said lamp socket, a spring normally biasing said plunger against said abutment means into a rest position, and a blade connected to said plunger for movement therewith, upon depression of said push-button assembly, said sleeve being adapted to move said plunger towards said switch and thereby said blade into engagement with said actuator to actuate said switch.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,246,110 4/1966 Hermanson et a1. 200-l67 ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

H. O. JONES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PUSH-BUTTON SWITCH ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A HOUSING, A SWITCH STATIONARILY ARRANGED IN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AN ACTUATOR EXTENDING THEREFROM, A LAMP SOCKET STATIONARILY DISPOSED IN SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A LAMP, A PAIR OF CONTACT STRIPS STATIONARILY RECEIVED IN SAID HOUSING AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SOCKET FOR ENERGIZING A LAMP RECEIVED THEREIN, A PUSHBUTTON ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A LENS, A COLLAR CONNECTED TO SAID LENS AND HAVING A KEY EXTENDING THEREFROM, AND A SLEEVE DISPOSED WITHIN AND DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO SAID COLLAR AND PROVIDED WITH A GROOVE RECEIVING SAID KEY TO PREVENT ROTATION BETWEEN SAID COLLAR AND SAID SLEEVE, SAID SLEEVE BEING AXIALLY DISPLACEABLY AND NON-ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, A PLUNGER ARRANGED IN SAID HOUSING AND MOVABLE THEREIN FROM A REST POSITION TO AN ACTUATING POSITION, SPRING MEANS BIASING SAID PLUNGER INTO SAID REST POSITION, AND A BLADE CONNECTED TO SAID PLUNGER FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, UPON DEPRESSION OF SAID PUSH-BUTTON ASSEMBLY SAID SLEEVE BEING ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID PLUNGER INTO SAID ACTUATING POSITION AND THEREBY SAID BLADE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ACTUATOR FOR ACTUATING SAID SWITCH. 